The Manitoba Junior Interclub Championship kicked off at Portage Golf Club on Friday morning.

Brad Young, head professional at Portage Golf Club, said the tournament sees the best four junior players from clubs around Manitoba come out to compete.

“Each golf club in Manitoba has the right to send four players over for today’s tournament,” he said. “When it comes to scoring, the top three scores from players at each club are totaled. Lowest score is the winner of course.”

The clubs will be split into two different groupings: Rural Manitoba and the City of Winnipeg.

“Portage Golf Course will be competing against Carmen Golf Club, Steinbach Fly-In Club and Selkirk Golf Club,” said Young. “Gavin Neufeld, Brayden Twist, Brodie Gobin and Micah Zacharias are the four members representing Portage Golf Club.”

Young said he expects them to do very well, as they have a slight advantage over the other golfers because of their familiarity of the course.

“There is always a hometown advantage,” he said. “They will be more familiar with green speed and where the best spots on the course are.”

Young also noted that he’d like to see golfers from Winnipeg have a good experience in Portage.

“It gives the young kids in Winnipeg a chance to play our course and compare it to the ones in the city,” he said. “Hopefully they pass on the good word to golfers in the city.”